Food and Drug Administration plans to accelerate the process PfizerThe delay in Covid vaccination for children younger than 5 years was due to a low number of clinical trials, Dr. Scott Gottlieb said Monday.

“Most children aren’t getting symptoms.” Covid“Yes,” stated the former FDA head and current member of Pfizer’s board. The perception of vaccine effectiveness can be influenced by one case.

Gottlieb explained that the FDA needed to allow data sets to “effectively settle down” Gottlieb added. “Squawk Box.”The point will be reached after the third dose has been administered and the data is compiled. He said, “At this point, you will be able to obtain more of a fixed perception about the vaccine’s overall efficacy” in the younger cohort, which is the one not approved in the U.S.

FDA had originally plannedTwo doses would be enough to cover the three-dose vaccine. This could be done as quickly as next month. But, Friday’s agency statement stated that they will wait to receive data on the safety and effectiveness of the third dose. This information was provided by Pfizer, its vaccine partner. BioNTechThey have stated that it won’t arrive until April.

Gottlieb indicated that shots should only be given to children below 5 years of age if they are to get an emergency authorization. “I think there’s only going 15% to 20% of parents who will go out and get their kids vaccinated.” This was also important for parents planning to immunise their children.

Gottlieb stated that while children have a reduced risk of getting Covid than adults, young children, particularly those who already have preexisting conditions, still face a high level of danger. The former FDA chief noted that Covid has caused about 1,100 deaths in children since the outbreak of the pandemic. There have been 400 cases among kids younger than 5. Gottlieb stated that only five flu-related deaths have occurred in the past two years.

Gottlieb stated that he expected the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP) to make a permissive recommendation, rather than mandating children younger than 5 years old to be vaccinated. They won’t say that children under 5 years old should be vaccinated. He said that they would say, “They could be vaccinated in order to lower their risk.”

Disclosure: Scott Gottlieb contributes to CNBC and serves on the boards of Pfizer Genetic Testing Start-up Tempus and Aetion. Illumina is a biotech company. As co-chair of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings’ and Royal Caribbean’s “Healthy Sail Panel”, he also plays a key role.